The instant application contains a Sequence Listing which has been submitted electronically in XML file format and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Said XML copy, created on Aug. 11, 2023, is named 081906-1390975_242010US_SL.xml and is 175,778 bytes in size.
Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are a class of over 200 compounds present at 20-23 g/L in colostrum and 12-14 g/L in mature milk (Chen, 2015; Smilowitz et al., 2014; Wiciński et al., 2020; Yu and Chen, 2019). Unlike their common precursor lactose, HMOs are indigestible by human infants and instead improve neonatal health by serving as effective antimicrobials and antivirals, prebiotics, and regulators of inflammatory immune cell-response cascades (Ayechu-Muruzabal et al., 2018; Ballard and Morrow, 2013; Kulinich and Liu, 2016; Rudloff and Kunz, 2012; Triantis et al., 2018; Wicinski et al., 2020). These and other potential benefits of HMOs make them attractive targets of study for preventing or treating diseases in both children and adults (Wiciński et al., 2020). The bioactive properties of HMOs have motivated efforts to define mechanistic effects of individual compounds (Berger et al., 2020; Bode, 2012; Borewicz et al., 2020; Hegar et al., 2019), but the sources of HMOs are limited and their large-scale isolation for such studies is exceedingly difficult. While production of individual HMOs using in vitro enzymatic reactions has been successful (Ågoston et al., 2019; Bai et al., 2019; Bandara et al., 2019, 2020; McArthur et al., 2019; Xiao et al., 2016; Yu et al., 2017; Zhao et al., 2016), these methods require supplementation of stoichiometric amounts of ATP and other cofactors that increase the production cost and may complicate the purification process of the oligosaccharide products.
Microbial production is a viable alternative method to produce HMOs. Whole cell biocatalysts are self-maintaining systems and do not require an exogenous supply of expensive cofactors. Enzymatic reactions in cells can also achieve high regio- and stereo-specific production of structurally complex molecules. Several simple HMOs including 2′-FL, 3-FL, lacto-N-triose II, lacto-N-tetraose (LNT), and lacto-N-neotraose (LNnT) have been produced in engineered microorganisms (Baumgartner et al., 2014; Choi et al., 2019; Dong et al., 2019; Huang et al., 2017; Liu et al., 2020; Yu et al., 2018). Linear HMO backbones such as lactose, LNT, and LNnT can be glycosylated at multiple sites with fucose and sialic acid to further produce HMOs of higher structural complexity. While in vitro enzymatic synthesis can construct these decorated HMOs by strategically producing each intermediate HMO structure in individual reaction systems, microbial production of multi-glycosylated HMOs in a microbial host has not been demonstrated.
Tetrasaccharide lactodifucotetraose (LDFT) is one of the most abundant fucosylated HMOs and is produced at an average of 0.43 g/L over the first year of lactation by secretory mothers (Chaturvedi et al., 2001). Its structure consists of a core lactose unit that is fucosylated at the C2′ and C3 positions. Studies have shown that LDFT is effective in preventing Campylobacter jejuni-associated diarrhea and suppressing platelet-induced inflammatory processes in neonates (Newburg et al., 2016; Orczyk-Pawilowicz and Lis-Kuberka, 2020). Its activity as a gastrointestinal and immunological modulator has motivated further research into its potential therapeutic applications. However, the high cost and limited availability of LDFT in the market ($140/mg, Biosynth Carbosynth; €11,000/g Elicityl) are barriers to these biological studies.
Provided herein are recombinants cell for production of oligosaccharide products such as difucosylated oligosaccharides. The cells include: a polynucleotide encoding a first glycosyltransferase polypeptide having a first substrate selectivity and a polynucleotide encoding a second glycosyltransferase polypeptide having a second substrate selectivity, and may further include one or more polynucleotides selected from the group consisting of: a polynucleotide encoding a nucleotide sugar pyrophosphorylase polypeptide, a monosaccharide transporter polypeptide, and an oligosaccharide transporter polypeptide.
In some embodiments, the cells include:
Also provided herein are methods for producing difucosylated oligosaccharides and other oligosaccharide products. In some embodiments, the methods include culturing a recombinant cell as described herein in a cell culture medium comprising L-fucose, an oligosaccharide acceptor, and a carbon source; wherein the cell is cultured under conditions in which a first fucosyltransferase polypeptide, a second fucosyltransferase polypeptide, a nucleotide sugar pyrophosphorylase polypeptide, a lactose transporter polypeptide, and an L-fucose transporter polypeptide are expressed and the oligosaccharide acceptor is converted to the difucosylated oligosaccharide.
Provided herein are methods for producing oligosaccharide products, such as tetrasaccharide lactodifucotetraose (LDFT) and other difucosylated oligosaccharides, in recombinant hosts such as E. coli. The present invention is based, in part, on the pairing of glycosyltransferases with complementary substrate specificities, e.g., pairing of α1-2-fucosyltransferases with high activity towards lactose and α1-3-fucosyltransferases with higher activity towards 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) than lactose. The selectivity of the α1-3-fucosyltransferase provides for minimal production of 3-fucosyllactose (3-FL) as a side product, resulting in the production of difucosylated oligosaccharides such as difucosylated tetrasaccharide lactodifucotetraose (LDFT) in high yield.
The use of bacterial fucosyltransferases with narrow acceptor selectivity can drive the sequential fucosylation of acceptors such as lactose and intermediates such as 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) to produce LDFT and other fucosylated products. Deletion of substrate degradation pathways that decouple cellular growth from product fucosylation can enhance expression of native substrate transporters, and modular induction of the genes in relevant biosynthetic pathways allows for complete conversion of acceptors such as lactose into products such as LDFT with only minor quantities of side products such as 3-fucosyllactose (3-FL). In certain embodiments, for example, 5.1 g/L of LDFT can be produced from 3 g/L lactose and 3 g/L L-fucose in 24 h. The results described herein demonstrate promising applications of microbial biocatalysts for the production of multi-fucosylated HMOs.
LDFT can be synthesized from lactose and L-fucose in a two-step fucosylation process using an α1-2-fucosyltransferase and an α1-3-fucosyltransferase. While monofucosylation of lactose with a single fucosyltransferase for the microbial production of 2′-FL and 3-FL has been studied, the effects of implementing an α1-2-fucosyltransferase and an α1-3-fucosyltransferase together in a cellular system to produce a difucosylated HMO has not been reported. As lactose is a suitable acceptor substrate for both fucosyltransferases, both 2′-FL and 3-FL can be produced as mono-fucosylated products in the first fucosylation step of the system with the presence of both fucosyltransferases. It was shown previously that while an α1-3/4-fucosyltransferase from Helicobacter pylori (Hp3/4FT) can use both non-fucosylated and α1-2-fucosylated galactosyl oligosaccharides as substrates (McArthur et al., 2019; Yu et al., 2017), α1-2-fucosyltransferases from Escherichia coli 0126 (WbgL) (Engels and Elling, 2014; McArthur et al., 2019) and Thermosynechococcus elongates (Zhao et al., 2016) are selective towards lactose and other non-fucosylated galactosyl oligosaccharide acceptor substrates.
An E. coli-based system according to the present disclosure, for example, employs two fucosyltransferases that preferentially fucosylates lactose to form a 2′-FL intermediate that is further fucosylated to produce the target LDFT. Various promoter expression systems were assessed to establish heterologous expression of the desired biosynthetic pathway. LDFT production was decoupled from bacterial growth by removing catabolic pathways of starting substrates and by maintaining cell density with glycerol, an inexpensive carbon source that does not activate carbon catabolite repression of lactose and L-fucose transporters (Kopp et al., 2017; Paulsen et al., 1998). To enhance intracellular availability of substrates, the lactose and L-fucose transporter genes, lacY and fucP, were additionally expressed from plasmids. With additional fine-tuning of the expression levels of individual glycosyltransferase genes, the strain produced 5.1 g/L of LDFT from 3 g/L lactose, achieving 910% of the theoretical maximum yield of LDFT in 24 h.
Provided herein are recombinant cells for the production of oligosaccharide products. The cells include:
Glycosyltransferases and other enzymes suitable for use in the methods described herein include, but are not limited to, those summarized in
A. α1-2-fucosyltransferase
Fucosyltransferases are inverting glycosyltransferases and are classified into eight glycosyltransferase (GT) families in the Carbohydrate-Active enZYmes (CAZy) database: GT10, GT11, GT23, GT3, GT56, GT65, GT68 and GT74 (see, cazy.org; Drula, et al. Nucleic Acids Research, 2022, Vol. 50, D571-D577; and references cited therein).
In some embodiments, the first fucosyltransferase polypeptide is an α1-2-fucosyltransferase polypeptide classified by Enzyme Commission number 2.4.1.69. WbgL, according to SEQ ID NO:1, and other GT11 family fucosyltransferases are thought to be GT-B fold glycosyltransferases containing two separate Rossmann domains (characterized by a six-stranded parallel β-sheet with a 321456 topology) with a connecting linker region and a catalytic site between the domains. See, Engels et al. (Glycobiology 2014, 24(2): 170-178) and Breton et al. (Glycobiology 2006, 16(2): 29R-37R). A high degree of conservation has been observed between protein members of the GT-B family, especially in the nucleotide-binding domain at the C-terminus. A glutamate residue and glycine-rich loops are thought to interact with the ribose and phosphate moieties of the nucleotide. The α1-2-fucosyltransferase may be a GT11 family fucosyltransferase having one or more conserved motifs corresponding to residues 8-16 (motif IV), 158-167 (motif I), 201-207 (motif II), and 234-273 (motif III) of SEQ ID NO:1. In some embodiments, the α1-2-fucosyltransferase includes from one to four amino acid sequences having at least 70% identity (e.g., about 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or 100% identity) to motif IV, motif I, motif, II, and/or motif III in SEQ ID NO:1. Highly conserved motif I is likely involved in GDP-fucose binding. Residues corresponding to R161 and D164 have been indicated to play roles in donor binding and enzyme activity (see, Li, et al. Biochemistry 2008, 47, 11590-11597). In addition to amino acid sequences corresponding to motifs I, II, III, and/or IV, the α1-2-fucosyltransferase may also include on or more acid sequences having at least 70% identity residues 1-7, 17-157, 168-200, 208-233, and/or 274-297 of SEQ ID NO:1.
Percentage of sequence identity can be determined by comparing two optimally aligned sequences over a comparison window, wherein the portion of the sequence (e.g., a peptide of the invention) in the comparison window may comprise additions or deletions (i.e., gaps) as compared to the reference sequence which does not comprise additions or deletions, for optimal alignment of the two sequences. The percentage can be calculated by determining the number of positions at which the identical amino acid residue occurs in both sequences to yield the number of matched positions, dividing the number of matched positions by the total number of positions in the window of comparison and multiplying the result by 100 to yield the percentage of sequence identity.
“Identical” and “identity,” in the context of two or more polypeptide sequences or nucleic acid sequences, refer to two or more sequences or subsequences that are the same. Sequences are “substantially identical” to each other if they have a specified percentage of nucleotides or amino acid residues that are the same (e.g., at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, or at least 99% identical over a specified region), when compared and aligned for maximum correspondence over a comparison window, or designated region as measured using one of the following sequence comparison algorithms or by manual alignment and visual inspection.
For sequence comparison, typically one sequence acts as a reference sequence, to which test sequences are compared. When using a sequence comparison algorithm, test and reference sequences are entered into a computer, subsequence coordinates are designated, if necessary, and sequence algorithm program parameters are designated. Default program parameters can be used, or alternative parameters can be designated. The sequence comparison algorithm then calculates the percent sequence identities for the test sequences relative to the reference sequence, based on the program parameters. Examples of algorithms that are suitable for determining percent sequence identity and sequence similarity are the BLAST and BLAST 2.0 algorithms, which are described in Altschul et al., (1990) J. Mol. Biol. 215: 403-410 and Altschul et al. (1977) Nucleic Acids Res. 25: 3389-3402, respectively. Software for performing BLAST analyses is publicly available at the National Center for Biotechnology Information website, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. The algorithm involves first identifying high scoring sequence pairs (HSPs) by identifying short words of length W in the query sequence, which either match or satisfy some positive-valued threshold score T when aligned with a word of the same length in a database sequence. T is referred to as the neighborhood word score threshold (Altschul et al., supra). These initial neighborhood word hits acts as seeds for initiating searches to find longer HSPs containing them. The word hits are then extended in both directions along each sequence for as far as the cumulative alignment score can be increased. Cumulative scores are calculated using, for nucleotide sequences, the parameters M (reward score for a pair of matching residues; always >0) and N (penalty score for mismatching residues; always <0). For amino acid sequences, a scoring matrix is used to calculate the cumulative score. Extension of the word hits in each direction are halted when: the cumulative alignment score falls off by the quantity X from its maximum achieved value; the cumulative score goes to zero or below, due to the accumulation of one or more negative-scoring residue alignments; or the end of either sequence is reached. The BLAST algorithm parameters W, T, and X determine the sensitivity and speed of the alignment. The BLASTN program (for nucleotide sequences) uses as defaults a word size (W) of 28, an expectation (E) of 10, M=1, N=−2, and a comparison of both strands. For amino acid sequences, the BLASTP program uses as defaults a word size (W) of 3, an expectation (E) of 10, and the BLOSUM62 scoring matrix (see, e.g., Henikoff and Henikoff, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:10915 (1989)).
Examples of α1-2-fucosyltransferases include, but are not limited to, E. coli O126 α1-2-fucosyltransferase (“WbgL;” GenBank: ABE98421.1; SEQ ID NO:1), H. mustelae 12198 α1-2-fucosyltransferase (“Hm2FT;” GenBank: CBG40460; SEQ ID NO:8), E. coli 0128:B12 α1-2-fucosyltransferase (“WbsJ;” GenBank: AA037698.1; SEQ ID NO:9), H. pylori UA1234 α1-2-fucosyltransferase (“Hp2FTa;” GenBank: AAD29863.1; SEQ ID NO:10), and H. pylori UA802 α1-2-fucosyltransferase (“Hp2FTb;” GenBank: AAC99764.1; SEQ ID NO:11). In some embodiments, the α1-2-fucosyltransferase polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 70% identity (e.g., about 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or 100% identity) to WbgL (SEQ ID NO: 1), Hm2FT (SEQ ID NO:8), WbsJ (SEQ ID NO:9), Hp2FTa (SEQ ID NO:10), or Hp2FTb (SEQ ID NO:11).
In some embodiments, the α1-2-fucosyltransferase polypeptide is an E. coli 0126 α1-2-fucosyltransferase WbgL polypeptide.
B. α1-3-fucosyltransferase
In some embodiments, the second fucosyltransferase polypeptide is an α1-3-fucosyltransferase polypeptide having, for example, β-LacNac α-1,3-L-fucosyltransferase activity (EC 2.4.4.1), galactoside α-1,3/1,4-L-fucosyltransferase activity (EC 2.4.1.65), or galactoside α-1,3-L-fucosyltransferase activity (EC 2.4.1.152). The α1-3-fucosyltransferase may be a GT10 family fucosyltransferase or a GT11 family fucosyltransferase. In some embodiments, the GT10 fucosyltransferase has a glycosyltransferase B (GT-B) fold containing two separated Rossmann domains as described, for example, by Breton et al. supra.
Examples of α1-3-fucosyltransferases include, but are not limited to H. pylori UA948 α1-3/4-fucosyltransferase (“Hp3/4FT;” GenBank: AAF35291.2; SEQ ID NO:3), H. pylori ATCC43504 α1-3-fucosyltransferase (“Hp43504 3FT;” GenBank: AAB93985; SEQ ID NO:12), H. pylori J99 α1-3-fucosyltransferase (“HpJ99 3FT;” GenBank: AAD06169.1, AAD06573.1; SEQ ID NOS:13-14), H. pylori NCTC11637 α1-3-fucosyltransferase (“Hp11637 3FT;” GenBank: AAB93985; SEQ ID NO:15), B. fragilis NCTC 9343 α1-3/α1-4-fucosyltransferase polypeptide (“Bf3/4FT;” GenBank: CAH09495.1; SEQ ID NO:16), and H. hepaticus ATCC 51449 Hh0072 (“Hh0072”; GenBank: AAP76669.1; SEQ ID NO:17). In some embodiments, the α1-2-fucosyltransferase polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 70% identity (e.g., about 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or 100% identity) to Hp3/4FT (SEQ ID NO:3), Hp43504 3FT (SEQ ID NO:12), HpJ99 3FT (SEQ ID NOS:13 and/or 14), Hp11637 3FT (SEQ ID NO:15), Bf3/4FT (SEQ ID NO:16), or Hh0072 (SEQ ID NO:17).
In some embodiments, the α1-3-fucosyltransferase polypeptide is a truncated α1-3-fucosyltransferase polypeptide, e.g., residues 1-428 of SEQ ID NO:2, or a polypeptide having at least 70% identity to residues 1-428 of SEQ ID NO:2.
In some embodiments, the cells further include one or more polynucleotides selected from the group consisting of:
C. Kinase/pyrophosphorylases
In some embodiments, the nucleotide sugar pyrophosphorylase polypeptide is a bifunctional glycokinase and nucleotide sugar pyrophosphorylase polypeptide. In some embodiments, the bifunctional enzyme is an L-fucokinase/GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase (Fkp). Fkps are a class of enzymes that catalyze two steps of the L-fucose salvage pathway for the geeneration of activated GDP-L-fucose via a fucose-1-phosphate intermediate. Fkps have been observed to adopt a tetrameric formation, with each monomer containing an N-terminal GDP-fucose pyrophosphorylase domain, an intermediate linking domain, and a C-terminal fucokinase domain. The pyrophosphorylase domain contains a Rossmann fold and a left-handed β-helix, and the fucokinase contains a GHMP sugar kinase fold. The linker between the two domains contains α-helices. Examples of Fkps include, but are not limited to Bacteroides fragilis bifunctional L fucokinase/GDP-L-fucose pyrophosphorylase (“BfFKP;” GenBank: CAH08307.1; SEQ ID NO:3) and Arabidopsis thaliana bifunctional fucokinase/fucose pyrophosphorylase (“AtFKGP;” UniProt: Q9LNJ9; SEQ ID NO:18).
D. Glycotransporters
In some embodiments, the monosaccharide transporter is a fucose transporter, and the oligosaccharide transporter is a lactose transporter. Many such transporters belong to the major facilitator superfamily (MFS), which shuttle substrates across cell membranes by leveraging electrochemical potential. MFS transporters such as E. coli LacY are composed of 12 transmembrane helices, with the six N-terminal and the six C-terminal helices forming distinct helical bundles connected by a loop. The two bundles have the same topology and exhibit pseudo-two-fold symmetry around an axis perpendicular to the membrane bilayer. A hydrophilic cavity is defined by helices 1, 2, 4, and 5 in the N-terminal bundle and helices 7, 8, 9, and 11 in the C-terminal bundle, while helices 3, 6, 9, and 12 are largely embedded in the membrane. In some embodiments, the lactose transporter polypeptide is an E. coli LacY polypeptide. Similar lactose transporters have been identified in Citrobacter spp., Cronobacter spp., Enterobacter spp., Klebsiella spp., Salmonella spp., and Shigella spp., and may also be incorporated in the recombinant host cells. In some embodiments, the lactose transporter polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequencing having at least 70% identity (e.g., about 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or 100% identity) to the E. coli str. K-12 substr. MG1655 LacY set forth in SEQ ID NO:4.
In some embodiments, the L-fucose transporter polypeptide is an E. coli FucP polypeptide. Similar fucose transporters have been identified in species including, but not limited to, Chryseobacterium mucoviscidosis, Enterobacter hormaechei, Escherichia albertii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella enterica, and Shigella flexneri, and may also be incorporated into the recombinant host cells. In some embodiments, the lactose transporter polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequencing having at least 70% identity (e.g., about 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or 100% identity) to the E. coli str. K-12 substr. MG1655 FucP set forth in SEQ ID NO:5.
In some embodiments, the cell further includes a polynucleotide encoding an additional transporter polypeptide. In some embodiments, the additional transporter polypeptide is a Bifidobacterium fucosyllactose transporter polypeptide, e.g., those including the domains set forth in SEQ ID NOS:19-21 and/or SEQ ID NOS:22-24.
Suitable microbial hosts include, but are not limited to, members of the genera Clostridium, Zymomonas, Escherichia, Salmonella, Rhodococcus, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Alcaligenes, Klebsiella, Paenibacillus, Arthrobacter, Corynebacterium, Brevibacterium, Pichia, Candida, Hansenula and Saccharomyces. Preferred hosts include: Escherichia coli, Alcaligenes eutrophus, Bacillus licheniformis, Paenibacillus macerans, Rhodococcus erythropolis, Pseudomonas putida, Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus gallinarium, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In some embodiments, the cell is an E. coli cell, a B. subtilis cell, a C. glutamicum cell, or an S. cerevisiae cell. In some embodiments, the cell is an E. coli BW25113 Z1 cell or an E. coli MG1655 Z1 cell.
Recombinant organisms containing the genes encoding glycosyltransferases and other enzymes for the production of human milk oligosaccharides and other oligosaccharide products can be constructed using techniques well known in the art. Polynucleotide sequences may be obtained from various organisms as described above, e.g., from a bacterial genome. For example, if the sequence of the gene is known, suitable genomic libraries may be created by restriction endonuclease digestion and may be screened with probes complementary to the desired gene sequence. Once the sequence is isolated, the DNA may be amplified using standard primer-directed amplification methods such as polymerase chain reaction to obtain amounts of DNA suitable for transformation using appropriate vectors. Tools for codon optimization for expression in a heterologous host are readily available.
Once the relevant pathway genes are identified and isolated they may be transformed into suitable expression hosts by means well known in the art. Vectors or cassettes useful for the transformation of a variety of host cells are common and commercially available from companies such as Thermo Fisher Scientific (Waltham, MA), MilliporeSigma (La Jolla, CA), and New England Biolabs, Inc. (Burlington, MA). Typically the vector or cassette contains sequences directing transcription and translation of the relevant gene, a selectable marker, and sequences allowing autonomous replication or chromosomal integration. Such vectors may include a region upstream of the gene which harbors transcriptional initiation controls and a region downstream of the gene which controls transcriptional termination. Both control regions may be derived from genes homologous to the transformed host cell, although it is to be understood that such control regions may also be derived from genes that are not native to the specific species chosen as a production host.
Initiation control regions or promoters, which are useful to drive expression of the relevant pathway coding regions in the desired host cell are numerous and familiar to those skilled in the art. Promoters capable of driving these genetic elements include, but are not limited to, CYC1, HIS3, GAL1, GAL10, ADH1, PGK, PHO5, GAPDH, ADC1, TRP1, URA3, LEU2, ENO, TPI, CUP1, FBA, GPD, and GPM (useful for expression in Saccharomyces); AOX1 (useful for expression in Pichia); and lac, ara, tet, trp, IPL, IPR, T7, tac, and trc (useful for expression in Escherichia coli, Alcaligenes, and Pseudomonas); the amy, apr, npr promoters and various phage promoters useful for expression in Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, and Paenibacillus macerans; nisA (useful for expression Gram-positive bacteria, Eichenbaum et al. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 64(8):2763-2769 (1998)); and the synthetic P11 promoter (useful for expression in Lactobacillus plantarum, Rud et al., Microbiology 152:1011-1019 (2006)). Termination control regions, if present, may also be derived from various genes native to the preferred hosts.
In some embodiments, the cell is transformed with a first expression vector comprising:
In some embodiments, the polynucleotide encoding the first fucosyltransferase polypeptide (e.g., WbgL) and the polynucleotide encoding the nucleotide sugar pyrophosphorylase polypeptide (e.g., Fkp) are operably linked to a first inducible promoter. In some embodiments, the first inducible promoter is a PL1acO1 promoter.
In some embodiments, the polynucleotide encoding the second fucosyltransferase polypeptide (e.g., Hp3/4FT) is operably linked to a second inducible promoter. In some embodiments, the second inducible promoter is a PLtetO1 promoter.
In some embodiments, the polynucleotide encoding the lactose transporter polypeptide and the polynucleotide encoding the L-fucose transporter polypeptide are operably linked to a constitutive promoter.
In some embodiments, the cell is modified to eliminate or reduce expression of an L-fucose mutarotase and/or a β-galactosidase. In some embodiments, the L-fucose mutarotase is an E. coli fucU, as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6, or a polypeptide having at least 70% identity thereto. In some embodiments, the β-galactosidase is an E. coli LacZ; as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6, or a polypeptide having at least 70% identity thereto. Knockout of L-fucose mutarotases and β-galactosidases can be conducted as described in more detail below. Other CRISPR/Cas9-based strategies, e.g., as described by Zhao et al. (Microb Cell Fact 2016, 15: 205) or König et al (Bio Protoc. 2018, 8(2): e2688), may be employed, as well as methods employing phage λ Red recombinase and/or FLP recombinase (see, Datsenko and Wanner. PNAS, 2000, 97 (12): 6640-6645; Baba, et al. Molecular Systems Biology 2006, 2:2006.0008)
Also provided herein are methods for producing oligosaccharide products. In some embodiments, the oligosaccharide product includes two or more fucose moieties, and the method comprising culturing a recombinant cell as described herein in a cell culture medium comprising L-fucose, an oligosaccharide acceptor, and a carbon source. The cell is cultured under conditions in which a nucleotide sugar pyrophosphorylase polypeptide, a first fucosyltransferase polypeptide, a second fucosyltransferase polypeptide, a lactose transporter polypeptide, and/or an L-fucose transporter polypeptide are expressed and the oligosaccharide acceptor is converted to a fucosylated oligosaccharide.
In some embodiments, the acceptor is selected from the group consisting of lactose, lacto-N-tetraose (LNT), lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT); lacto-N-hexaose (LNH); lacto-N-neohexaose (LNnH); para-lacto-N-hexaose (pLNH); and para-lacto-N-octaose (pLNO). Oligosaccharide products include, but are not limited to lactodifucotetraose (LDFT), difucosyl lacto-N-tetraose (DF-LNT), trifucosyl lacto-N-tetraose (TriF-LNT), trifucosyl para-lacto-N-hexaose (TriF-pLNH), and trifucosyl para-lacto-N-octaose (Tetra-F-pLNO)
In some embodiments, the oligosaccharide acceptor is lactose and the oligosaccharide product is lactodifucotetraose (LDFT).
Cell culture media generally contain a carbon source. Suitable substrates include, but are not limited to, monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose, oligosaccharides such as lactose or sucrose, polysaccharides such as starch or cellulose or mixtures thereof and unpurified mixtures from renewable feedstocks such as cheese whey permeate, comsteep liquor, sugar beet molasses, and barley malt. Additionally the carbon substrate may also be one-carbon substrates such as carbon dioxide or methanol. In addition to one and two carbon substrates, methylotrophic organisms are also known to utilize a number of other carbon containing compounds such as methylamine, glucosamine, and a variety of amino acids for metabolic activity. For example, methylotrophic yeast are known to utilize the carbon from methylamine to form trehalose or glycerol. In some embodiments, the carbon source comprises glucose, glycerol, or a combination thereof.
In addition to an appropriate carbon source, fermentation media will typically contain suitable minerals, salts, cofactors, buffers and other components, known to those skilled in the art, suitable for the growth of the cultures and promotion of the enzymatic pathway for production of the desired oligosaccharide.
Typically, recombinant host cells are grown at a temperature in the range of about 20° C. to about 40° C. in an appropriate medium such as Luria Bertani (LB) broth, Sabouraud Dextrose (SD) broth or Yeast medium (YM) broth. Other defined or synthetic growth media may also be used, and the appropriate medium for growth of the particular microorganism will be known by one skilled in the art of microbiology or fermentation science. The use of agents known to modulate catabolite repression directly or indirectly, e.g., cyclic adenosine 2′:3′-monophosphate, may also be incorporated into the fermentation medium.
Suitable pH ranges for the fermentation are between pH 5.0 to pH 9.0, where pH 6.0 to pH 8.0 is preferred as the initial condition. Oligosaccharide production may be conducted under aerobic or anaerobic conditions, including microaerobic conditions.
In some embodiments, expression of the nucleotide sugar pyrophosphorylase polypeptide and the first fucosyltransferase polypeptide is induced at a level corresponding to 30-40% of maximum level (e.g., with isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside in an amount around 50 μM). In some embodiments, expression of the second fucosyltransferase polypeptide is induced at a maximum level (e.g., with anhydrotetracycline at around 100 ng/mL).
The terms “about” and “around,” as used herein to modify a numerical value, indicate a close range surrounding that explicit value. If “X” were the value, “about X” or “around X” would indicate a value from 0.8 X to 1.2 X, preferably a value from 0.9 X to 1.1 X, and, more preferably, a value from 0.95 X to 1.05 X. Any reference to “about X” or “around X” specifically indicates at least the values X, 0.9 X, 0.91 X, 0.92 X, 0.93 X, 0.94 X, 0.95 X, 0.96 X, 0.97 X, 0.98 X, 0.99 X, 1.01 X, 1.02 X, 1.03 X, 1.04 X, 1.05 X, 1.06 X, 1.07 X, 1.08 X, 1.09 X, and 1.10 X. Thus, “about X” and “around X” are intended to teach and provide written description support for a claim limitation of, e.g., “0.98 X.”
The amount of oligosaccharide produced in the cell culture medium can be determined using a number of methods known in the art, for example, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or thin-layer chromatography (TLC).
Oligosacharides may be produced in a batch fashion or continuous fashion. A classical batch fermentation is a closed system where the composition of the medium is set at the beginning of the fermentation and not subject to artificial alterations during the fermentation. Within batch cultures, cells may moderate through a static lag phase to a high growth log phase and finally to a stationary phase where growth rate is diminished or halted. If untreated, cells in the stationary phase will eventually die. Cells in log phase generally are responsible for the bulk of production of end product or intermediate. A variation on the standard batch system is the fed-batch system. Fed-batch fermentation processes typically include incremental addition of an oligosaccharide acceptor or other substrate as the fermentation progresses.
Continuous fermentation typically involves an open system where a defined fermentation medium is added continuously to a bioreactor and an equal amount of conditioned media is removed simultaneously for processing. Continuous fermentation generally maintains the cultures at a constant high density where cells are primarily in log phase growth. Continuous fermentation allows for the modulation of one factor or any number of factors that affect cell growth or end product concentration. For example, a limiting nutrient such as the carbon source may be maintained at a fixed rate while all other parameters may be allowed to vary. In other systems a number of factors affecting growth can be altered continuously while the cell concentration, measured by media turbidity, is kept constant. Batch, fed-batch, and continuous fermentation systems are described, for example, by Bull et al. (Eds.) (Manual of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, Third Edition (2010) ASM Press, Washington DC.) which is incorporated herein by reference.
Reagents
All enzymes involved in the molecular cloning experiments were purchased from New England Biolabs (NEB). All synthetic oligonucleotides were synthesized by Integrated DNA Technologies. Sanger sequencing was provided by Genewiz. D-Lactose was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. L-Fucose was purchased from V-Labs, Inc. An analytical standard of 2′-FL was purchased from Carbosynth.
For synthesizing 3-FL, 8 mg lactose, L-fucose (1.3 equiv.), adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP, 1.3 equiv.), and guanidine 5′-triphosphate (GTP, 1.3 equiv.) were dissolved in 2.3 mL of 100 mM Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.5) containing 20 mM MgCl2, 0.35 mg Bacteroides fragilis bifunctional L-fucokinase/GDP-L-fucose pyrophosphorylase (BfFKP) (Yi et al., 2009), 0.15 mg Pasteurella multocida inorganic pyrophosphatase (PmPpA) (Yu et al., 2010), and 0.3 mg Hp3/4FT. The reaction mixture was incubated at 30° C. at 100 rpm for 16 h. The product formation was monitored by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS) (Shimadzu). When all lactose was converted to 3′-FL, the reaction was stopped by adding an equivalent volume of ice-cold ethanol. The mixture was kept at 4° C. for 30 min then centrifuged at 6,900 g for 30 min. The precipitates were removed and the supernatant was concentrated with a rotary evaporator and then passed through a Dowex® 1×8 ion exchange column. The partially purified product was obtained by elution with water. The eluate was concentrated, passed through a Bio-Gel P-2 gel filtration column, and eluted with water. The fractions containing the pure 3-FT product were collected and lyophilized.
To synthesize the LDFT standard, 8 mg lactose, L-fucose (1.2 equiv.), ATP (1.2 equiv.), and GTP (1.2 equiv.) were dissolved in 2.3 mL of 100 mM Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.5) containing 20 mM MgCl2, 0.3 mg BfFKP, 0.1 mg PmPpA, and 0.2 mg Helicobacter mustelae α1-2-fucosyltransferase (Hm2FT) (Ye et al., 2019). The reaction mixture was incubated at 30° C. at 100 rpm for 16 h. The product formation was monitored by LCMS. When all lactose was converted to 2′-FL, the reaction mixture was concentrated and applied to the next fucosylation step without purification. In the second step, the reaction mixture containing 10 mM 2′-FL formed from the previous step, L-fucose (1.2 equiv.), ATP (1.2 equiv.), and GTP (1.2 equiv.) in 2.3 mL of 100 mM Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.5) containing 20 mM MgCl2, 0.35 mg BfFKP, 0.15 mg PmPpA, and 0.3 mg Hp3/4FT. The reaction mixture was incubated at 30° C. at 100 rpm for 16 h. When all 2′-FL was converted to LDFT as monitored by LCMS, the reaction was stopped by adding an equal volume of ice-cold ethanol. The mixture was kept at 4° C. for 30 min and then centrifuged at 6,900 g for 30 min. The precipitates were removed and the supernatant was concentrated with a rotary evaporator and then passed through a Dowex® 1×8 ion exchange column. The partially purified product was obtained by elution with water. The eluate was concentrated, passed through a Bio-Gel P-2 gel filtration column, and eluted with water. The fractions containing the pure LDFT product were collected and lyophilized.
All strains used in this study are listed in Tables 1 and 3. All plasmids and primers are listed on Tables 4 and 5. Gene deletions and integrations were constructed using CRISPR-Cas9-mediated homologous recombination (Jiang et al., 2015). Linear DNA repair fragments for gene deletions were constructed by PCR assembly or amplification from genomic DNA using primers listed in Tables 4 and 6. The linear DNA repair fragment for ss9::PlacUV5:T7rnap was PCR amplified from repair plasmid pAL1856 constructed from pSS9 template (Addgene plasmid #71655) (Bassalo et al., 2016) listed in Tables 3 & 6. All genomic modifications were PCR and sequence verified.
E. coli strain
Other plasmids information is in Table 4.
#upstream homologous region,
Plasmids for sfGFP fluorescence assays, LDFT production, and 3-FL production were constructed using sequence and ligation independent cloning (SLIC) (Li and Elledge, 2007). Plasmids encoding sgRNAs for CRISPR-Cas9-mediated homologous recombination were constructed with Q5 site-directed mutagenesis using a modified template pTargetF (Addgene plasmid #62226). Templates used for DNA amplification and cloning are listed in Table 7. All plasmids were verified by PCR and Sanger sequencing. Culture conditions
Overnight cultures were grown at 37° C., 250 rpm, in 3 mL of Luria-Bertani (LB) media with appropriate antibiotics. Antibiotic concentrations were as follows: spectinomycin (50 μg/mL), ampicillin (200 μg/mL), and kanamycin (50 μg/mL). Growth assays were carried out in M9 minimal medium (33.7 mM Na2HPO4, 22 mM KH2PO4, 8.6 mM NaCl, 9.4 mM NH4Cl, 1 mM MgSO4, 0.1 mM CaCl2)) including 1000×A5 trace metal mix (2.86 g H3BO3, 1.81 g MnCl2·4H2O, 0.079 g CuSO4·5H2O, 49.4 mg Co(NO3)2·6H2O per liter water). LDFT production was carried out in M9 minimal medium supplemented with 5 g/L yeast extract (M9P). Optical densities were measured at 600 nm (OD600) with a Synergy H1 hybrid plate reader (BioTek Instruments, Inc.).
Overnight cultures were inoculated at 1% in 3 mL of M9 minimal medium supplemented with 1 g/L D-lactose or 1 g/L L-fucose. Cultures were grown at 37° C., 250 rpm, for 24 h and OD600 was measured.
Overnight cultures were inoculated at 1% in 3 mL of LB media and grown at 37° C., 250 rpm, until OD600 reached 0.4-0.6. Cultures were respectively induced with isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG, 1.0 mM) and grown at 37° C., 250 rpm, for 24 h.
Fluorescence emission was measured at 510 nm with a Synergy H1 hybrid plate reader (BioTek Instruments, Inc.).
Overnight cultures were inoculated at 1% in 3 mL of M9P supplemented with 5 g/L glucose, 10 g/L glycerol, or 20 g/L glycerol. Cultures were grown at 37° C., 250 rpm, until OD600 reached 0.4-0.6. Appropriate concentrations of lactose, L-fucose, IPTG, and anhydrotetracycline (aTc) were added and the cultures were grown at 30° C., 250 rpm, for 24 h. The produced LDFT was confirmed by high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using a Thermo Electron LTQ-Orbitrap Hybrid MS at the Mass Spectrometry Facility in the University of California, Davis.
To measure glycerol, L-fucose, lactose, 2′-FL, 3-FL, and LDFT, cell culture supernatant was analyzed using HPLC (Shimadzu) equipped with a refractive index detector (RID) 10 A and a Luna Omega HILIC Sugar column (Phenomenex). The mobile phase consisted of 100% 70:30 HPLC-grade acetonitrile:MilliQ water was run at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min for 12 min, with the column oven at 35° C. and RID cell temperature at 40° C.
To prepare samples for HPLC analysis, 125 μL of culture was collected and spun down at 17,000 g for 5 min. 15 μL of culture supernatant or compound standard in water was diluted with 45 μL of MilliQ water and 180 μL of acetonitrile. The mixture was vortexed and spun down at 17,000 g for 5 min. 40 μL of each sample was injected into the column for analysis.
Pathway Design for LDFT Production in E. coli
HMO production does not naturally occur in E. coli, therefore the following three enzymes were employed for the production of LDFT: a bifunctional L-fucokinase/GDP-L-fucose pyrophosphorylase (Fkp) from Bacteroides fragilis (Yi et al., 2009), an α1-2-fucosyltransferase (WbgL) from E. coli 0126 (Engels and Elling, 2014; McArthur et al., 2019), and α1-3/4-fucosyltransferase (Hp3/4FT) from Helicobacter pylori UA948 (Rasko et al., 2000; Yu et al., 2017). Acceptor substrate specificity studies of both WbgL and Hp3/4FT have been reported (Engels and Elling, 2014; Ma et al., 2006; McArthur et al., 2019; Yu et al., 2017). WbgL exhibits high activity towards non-fucosylated acceptor substrates, such as lactose, N-acetyllactosamine (LacNAc), and lactulose, and no activity towards 3-FL. Hp3/4FT has been shown to be highly active towards LacNAc and 2′-fucosyl-LacNAc with low activity towards lactose. The acceptor preferences of the fucosyltransferases allow sequential fucosylation of lactose for the formation of LDFT in the presence of both fucosyltransferases. Fkp uses one ATP and GTP to convert L-fucose to GDP-fucose, which is taken as a donor substrate by WbgL to fucosylate lactose at the C2′ position, forming the intermediate 2′-FL (
LDFT Production in E. coli B Strains
The relatively low soluble expression level of recombinant fucosyltransferases was of initial concern as a potential cause of bottlenecks for synthesizing fucosylated HMOs in microbial hosts (Nidetzky et al., 2018). In this study, the C-terminal 34-amino acid hydrophobic sequence of Hp3/4FT was truncated to increase its solubility (Yu et al., 2017). To increase the expression of fucosyltransferases, E. coli B strain BL21 Star (DE3) was selected as an LDFT production host. BL21 Star (DE3) is widely used for recombinant protein expression and is capable of high expression via the two-step IPTG-inducible T7 bacteriophage promoter (Rosano and Ceccarelli, 2014). The fkp and wbgL genes were cloned together into an expression vector under a T7-promoter (PT7, pAL1779, Table 2) and the truncated Hp3/4 ft gene was cloned into a second expression vector under PT7 (pAL1817, Table 2).
Lactose and L-fucose were used as starting substrates for LDFT production, but E. coli is known to catabolize these two sugars for growth. It was hypothesized that minimizing assimilation of L-fucose and lactose for cellular growth would contribute to maximization of LDFT production. Therefore, the strain's ability to grow on these two carbon sources was evaluated to determine which carbon assimilating pathways to remove. Although the BL21 Star (DE3) encodes all genes involved in L-fucose degradation, the strain was not able to grow on L-fucose as the sole carbon source (
The two plasmids containing the LDFT production pathway (pAL1779 and pAL1817, Tables 2 & 4) were introduced into Strain 1 to form Strain 2 (Table 1). To determine the best carbon source for growth and production, Strain 2 was grown in parallel with glucose, a common feedstock known for its catabolite repression towards lactose importation (Bruckner and Titgemeyer, 2002), and glycerol, an inexpensive feedstock that does not cause catabolite repression. Under both of these culturing conditions, Strain 2 did not produce LDFT nor its precursor, 2′-FL. To examine the expression from PT7, the plasmid containing sfgfp under PT7 (pAL1843, Table 2) was introduced into BL21 Star (DE3) and Strain 1 to form Strains 3 and 4, respectively (Table 1). Strain 3 produced a strong fluorescent signal after IPTG induction while Strain 4 did not produce fluorescence signal in either induction conditions, suggesting that T7 RNA polymerase expression was lacking (
Introduction of the T7 RNAP Gene into K-12 Derivative Strains
Due to difficulties in genetically modifying BL21 Star (DE3), PlacUV5:T7rnap was integrated into the E. coli K-12 derivative strains, BW25113 Z1 and MG1655 Z1 (Table 3). The Z1 fragment containing laciq, tetR, and specr was integrated into the attB site of these strains. It has been shown that many regions in the E. coli genome are stable and high-efficiency integration sites for heterologous genes (Bassalo et al., 2016), therefore intergenic locus ss9 was chosen as the insertion site for PlacUV5:T7rnap. The PlacUV5:T7rnap cassette was integrated into ss9 of BW25113 Z1 and MG1655 Z1 to form Strains 5 and 6, respectively (Table 1).
pAL1834 containing PT7:sfgfp was introduced into Strains 5 and 6 to form Strains 7 and 8, respectively (Table 1) to assess the repression and induction efficiencies of PT7 through a fluorescence assay. Tight repression of GFP expression without IPTG was observed in Strains 7 and 8 (
The LDFT production plasmids (pAL1779 and pAL1817, Table 2) were introduced into Strain 10 to form Strain 11 (Table 1). Strain 11 was grown to test LDFT production from lactose and L-fucose. Glucose or glycerol was used to maintain cellular growth. Under both conditions, LDFT was not produced in Strain 11. This prompted the examination of the T7 RNA polymerase expression system in Strain 10. pAL1834 containing PT7:sfgfp was introduced into Strain 10 to form Strain 12 (Table 1). Strain 12 produced strong GFP fluorescence without IPTG induction, indicating the expression from PT7 was leaky in Strain 12 (
To avoid the potential sequence similarity issues observed for PlacUV5 and the native lacZ promoter, the three modifications into MG1655 Z1 were introduced in a different order. First, fucU and lacZ in MG1655 Z1 were deleted to form Strain 13 (ΔfucU) and Strain 14 (ΔfucU ΔlacZ)). Then, PlacUV5: T7rnap was integrated into the ss9 locus to form Strain 15 (Table 1). Strain 15 was unable to grow on L-fucose or lactose as a sole carbon source (
Rather than pursuing alternative promoters for T7rnap, other induction systems for the LDFT biosynthetic pathway genes were used. The fkp and wbgL genes were cloned under PLlacO1 (pAL1759, Tables 2 & 4) and the Hp3/4 ft gene was cloned under an aTc-inducible promoter PLetO1 (pAL1760, Tables 2 & 4) (Lutz and Bujard, 1997). The LDFT production plasmids (pAL1759 and pAL1760) were introduced to Strain 14 to form Strain 23 (Table 1). Strain 23 was grown in M9P containing L-fucose and lactose with glucose or glycerol. After 24 h, Strain 23 produced 0.08 g/L 2′-FL and 0.16 g/L LDFT under the glycerol conditions, but neither were produced under the glucose conditions (
Intracellular availability of L-fucose and lactose is important for efficient LDFT production. It was hypothesized that additional expression of the substrate transporter genes would increase the substrate supply and improve LDFT production. The lactose and L-fucose membrane symporter genes, lacY and fucP, were expressed under a constitutive promoter (iGEM part No. BBa_K1824896, Tables 2 & 4). The lacY gene was expressed from the fkp-wbgL plasmid pAL2027 (Tables 2 & 4). The LDFT production plasmids with lacY (pAL2027 and pAL1760) were introduced into Strain 14 to form Strain 24 (Table 1) but the overexpression of lacY did not improve LDFT production (
Next, both lacY and fucU were expressed from the fkp-wbgL plasmid pAL2029 (Table 2). The LDFT-production plasmids with lacY and fucU (pAL2029 and pAL1760) were introduced into Strain 14 to form Strain 26 (Table 1). Strain 26 produced 1.1 g/L LDFT after 24 h, representing 59% of the theoretical maximum yield (TMY) from lactose and accumulated 0.17 g/L 2′-FL and/or 3-FL (
To fine-tune the nucleotide activation of L-fucose and the fucosylation reactions, a range of IPTG concentrations (0, 25, 50, 100, and 1,000 μM) were screened for the expression of PLlacO1:fkp-wbgL in the presence of 100 ng/mL aTc for induction of PLtetO1:Hp3/4 ft. The best growth, greatest lactose and L-fucose consumption, and the highest level LDFT production (1.6 g/L, 89% of TMY) was observed with 50 μM IPTG (
The LDFT production profile in Strain 26 was characterized for 12 h post-induction by monitoring substrate, intermediate, side product, and LDFT levels using HPLC (
When WbgL and Hp3/4FT are expressed at the same time, both enzymes can compete to fucosylate lactose into 2′-FL and 3-FL, respectively. In the presence of lactose and 2′-FL, Hp3/4FT can also convert the respective acceptor substrates into 3-FL and LDFT. It was hypothesized that the delayed induction of Hp3/4 ft would decrease the competition between WbgL and Hp3/4FT for lactose and decrease the production of the side product, 3-FL. Therefore, delaying of the Hp3/4FT expression was tested by adding 100 ng/mL aTc at 2, 4, and 6 h. However, the delayed expressions of Hp3/4 ft resulted in increased monofucoside accumulation and decreased LDFT production (
To examine the import efficiency of 2′-FL, 2′-FL was fed to the production cultures. The wbgL gene was removed from pAL2029 to form pAL2059 (Table 2). pAL2059 and pAL1760 were introduced into Strain 14 to form Strain 27 (Table 1). Strain 27 was grown in M9P with 10 g/L glycerol. Cultures were induced with 50 μM IPTG and 100 ng/mL aTc and supplemented with 1.42 g/L of 2′-FL (mole equivalent to 1 g/L lactose) and 0.5 g/L L-fucose. Lactose was not fed to the cultures and wbgL was not present in system, making it unlikely for Strain 27 to produce 2′-FL and 3-FL. Under these conditions, LDFT should be produced only from the fed 2′-FL. Strain 27 produced only 0.4 g/L LDFT in 24 h, further supporting that the import of 2′-FL is not efficient in E. coli (
LDFT Production with Higher Substrate Concentrations
Strain 26 consumed 1 g/L lactose within 8 h and LDFT production reached completion at 12 h post-induction (
LDFT has been identified as an effective gastrointestinal and immunological modulator and has the potential to be developed to treat human diseases. Its high cost and limited commercial access make LDFT a desirable target for production in microbial hosts. Systems developed in E. coli, B. subtilis, and S. cerevisiae have successfully produced HMOs such as 2′-FL, 3-FL, LNT, and LNnT, which represent only a small fraction of over 200 naturally occurring HMOs. Developing microbial production systems dedicated to synthesizing HMOs with a higher structural complexity is still challenging. In this study, a microbial system that specifically and efficiently produces LDFT was established.
The greatest challenge of this study was pairing an α1-2-fucosyltransferase with an α1-3-fucosyltransferase that can efficiently produce LDFT with minimal accumulation of monofucoside intermediates. WbgL was chosen to drive lactose fucosylation into 2′-FL because it expresses well in E. coli and has been characterized to prefer β1-4-linked galactose substrates, such as lactose and LacNAc (Engels and Elling, 2014). From acceptor substrate screenings of α1-3-fucosylatransferases, Hp3/4FT was annotated with high activity towards 2′-fucosyl LacNAc, which suggested 2′-FL may also be a suitable acceptor for Hp3/4FT (Ma et al., 2006; Yu et al., 2017). Characterization of LDFT production as described herein demonstrated that Hp3/4FT had preferential activity towards 2′-FL over lactose and LDFT was formed as the dominant product (
The rate of LDFT formation was dictated by carbon catabolite repression (CCR) and the activity of sugar transporters, which firmly control the import of carbohydrates across the inner membrane (Görke and Stülke, 2008). It has been shown that import of glucose through the phosphotransferase system inhibits transcription of lac operon genes, including lacY. From the experiments described above, glucose conditions led to suppressed LDFT production while glycerol conditions resulted in improved LDFT production. This suggests glucose inhibits lactose import whereas glycerol allows for lactose import through sufficient lacY expression. Although glucose is a traditional carbon feedstock for microbial fermentation, it is unsuitable for HMO production systems that use lactose as a substrate. In the absence of CCR, LDFT production was still limited by the native expression levels of lacY and fucP (
Lastly, balancing expression levels of the LDFT biosynthetic pathway genes (fkp, wbgL, and Hp3/4 ft) increased efficiency of LDFT production. Decreasing expression of fkp reduces excessive ATP and GTP consumption in GDP-fucose production, potentially relieving the metabolic burden of regenerating nucleotide cofactors (
Due to concerns about strain virulence for the production of bioactive compounds, the HMO production technologies can be translated to nonpathogenic generally-recognized-as-safe (GRAS) strains such as Bacillus subtilis, Corynebacterium glutamicum, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Becker et al., 2018; Kaspar et al., 2019; Lian et al., 2018). For example, lactose transporters can also be introduced into hosts such as C. glutamicum as described by Shen et al. (Microb Cell Fact (2019) 18:51). Expression of known FucU and LacZ homologes (e.g., B. subtilis homologs set forth in SEQ ID NO:25 and SEQ ID NO:26), can be reduced or eliminated as described above for E. coli. Alternatively, host cells such as S. cerevisiae which are not known to express FucU homologs would not require such modifications. Advancements in GRAS strains' synthetic biology toolbox such as genome editing, vector expression systems, and tuning of gene expression has improved their industrial application in producing nutraceuticals, food additives and biofuels. Some of these GRAS hosts also enable post-translational modification of enzymes and localization of proteins into organelles or on membranes. Development of GRAS HMO fucosylation systems would also forge production routes for other fucosylated compounds for pharmaceutical research.
Exemplary embodiments provided in accordance with the presently disclosed subject matter include, but are not limited to, the claims and the following embodiments:
Although the foregoing has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding, one of skill in the art will appreciate that certain changes and modifications can be practiced within the scope of the appended claims. In addition, each reference provided herein is incorporated by reference in its entirety to the same extent as if each reference was individually incorporated by reference.
The present application is a bypass continuation of International Application PCT/US2022/017074 filed Feb. 18, 2022, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/151,557, filed on Feb. 19, 2021, which applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63151557 | Feb 2021 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/US2022/017074 | Feb 2022 | US |
Child | 18450181 | US |